Raspberry plant named &#39;Driscoll Estrella&#39;

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The new cultivar is distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its yellow fruit color, fruit firmness, consistent fruit structure and high yield. The new cultivar is distinguished from its pollen parent by producing a higher yield of larger, firmer fruit with a brighter yellow color.

1. LATIN NAME OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES OF THE PLANT CLAIMED

The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. subgenus Rubus.

1.2 VARIETY DENOMINATION

The Raspberry variety denomination is ‘Driscoll Estrella’.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a new cultivar of raspberry called ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The new cultivar of raspberry plant was developed from the hybridization of the selection Q481.7 (an unpatented variety) as the seed parent with the selection S826.3 (an unpatented variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1998, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Watsonville, Calif. in 1998. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 2000 for its yellow color, productivity and flavor. The cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz County, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

3. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and distinct yellow raspberry cultivar named ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The cultivar is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The ‘Driscoll Estrella’ yellow raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in late June and continues until early November. The floricane crop begins in late April and continues until late June or early July. Both the primocane and floricane yields are high relative to other comparable yellow varieties. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is notably quite firm and very consistent with regard to its size and shape throughout its harvest period. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ separates easily from its receptacle.

4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the primocane fruit, leaves and shoot of the new cultivar, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ primocane flower and fruit in various stages of development.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ primocane leaves showing upper and lower leaf surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ primocane shoot.

5. DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, ‘Driscoll Estrella’, is based upon observations taken of plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 2001 and 2005, and is believed to apply to plants of the ‘Driscoll Estrella’ cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color data beginning with a capital letter and followed by an alphanumeric code indicate the most similar color designations as provided by The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Estrella’ compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivar ‘Heritage’. Observations of the cultivars were taken in comparisons under similar conditions.

The new variety is particularly characterized and distinguished from other cultivars by its yellow fruit color, fruit firmness, consistent fruit structure and high yield. The fruit color of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is a bright yellow at harvest. Fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ separates easily from the receptacle and is of excellent firmness at harvest. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is very consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period.

The primocane and floricane yields of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ are high relative to the variety ‘Heritage’. ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is distinguishable from its pollen parent, selection ‘S826.3’, by producing a higher yield of larger, firmer fruit with a brighter yellow color. The new cultivar has similar fruit size, shape and color as its seed parent, selection ‘Q481.7’

5.1 DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE

‘Driscoll Estrella’ has exhibited some resistance to Phragmidium rust and Phytophthora root rot. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is good in comparison with many selections and varieties. TABLE 1 PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL ESTRELLA’ Driscoll Estrella Heritage GENERAL Plant Size Small to Medium Large Growth habit Erect Erect Productivity High Medium Self-fruitfulness Self-fruitful Self-Fruitful Time of bud burst Medium Medium Primocane fruiting Percent of cane Length 50-70 20-40 flowering as Primocane Percent of total yield 51 50 Primocanes Number of young shoots Many Medium Young shoot pigmentation None Medium Length (cm) 178 195 Time of shoot emergence Early Medium Glaucosity (waxy bloom) Weak Weak Strength Medium Medium Cane cross section (from Angular Rounded to angular mid cane of primocane) Dormant cane color 164-A 166-B Prickles Pigmentation Green Green to brown-green Density on young shoots Medium Dense Attitude of tip Horizontal Downward Size Medium Medium Size: Length (mm) (base 1.8 2.0 to tip at 1 m height at end of harvest) Texture Heavy Heavy Presence and distribu- Present, regularly Present, regularly tion of petioles distributed distributed Pubescence on canes Absent Absent Internodal distance (cm) 4.8 4.3 (at central 1/3 of cane) LEAVES Color Face 147-A 147-A Underside N138-C 148-C Relief between veins Medium Weak Glossiness Medium Medium Petiole Length (cm) 7.3 7.0 Pigmentation of upper Absent Present surface Pigmentation of underside Absent Absent Stipule orientation Reflex Erect Arrangement Compound Compound Number of leaflets Sometimes 3, Sometimes 3, Sometimes 5 sometimes 5 Overlapping of lateral Touching Free to touching leaflets Lateral leaflet: length Very short Very short to stalklet (lower pair) Terminal leaflet Length (cm) 12.6 14.8 Width (cm) 10.0 8.8 Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Cordate Rounded Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Lateral leaflets (basal pair) Length (cm) 10.7 13.7 Width 7.3 7.8 Orientation Opposite Opposite Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Oblique Oblique Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Rachis length between 2.1 to 4.4 3.7 to 5.8 terminal leaflet and adjacent lateral leaflet (cm) FLOWERS Flowering period Primocane Late May to late Early July to September Early October Floricane Early April to Mid April to Mid June Mid June Flower size Medium Medium Petal Length (cm) 0.9 0.7 Width (cm) 0.5 0.3 Pedicel Coloration None Medium Length Medium Medium FRUIT Harvest Season Primocane Late June to Early August to Late October Early November Floricane Early May to Late May to Mid July Mid July Fruiting Lateral Number of fruit per 14 23 lateral Color Yellow Medium Red Immature 11-B 180-A Maturing 162-B 185-B Mature fruit 162-A 185-A Glossiness Medium Medium Shape Ovate Ovate Dimensions Size Medium Small Length (mm) 22 19 Width (mm) 23 19 Length:width 0.95 1.0 Weight (g/Fruit) Primocane 4.5 3.4 Floricane 4.4 2.6 Soluble Solids (%) 11.1 10.5 Titratable acidity 1.3 1.50 (% as citric acid) Seeds Weight (mg/seed) 1.87 1.62 Number druplets/fruit 82 75 Adherence to plug (1-9) Medium Medium Firmness Very firm Firm Yield High Medium 

1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, substantially as shown and described. 